Sandro Botticelli (adoption) (1445-1510), Madonna with Child, Saint John the Baptist and angel

Biography
Botticelli, author of the famous "Primavera" and "Birth of Venus," also became famous as a painter of Madonnas. The source of his fame as a madonniere is primarily tondos. Subordinated to the principle of symmetry, the compositions, inscribed in a circle, epitomize Renaissance harmony. At the root of such a painterly difficult ground shape is the Tuscan tradition of round desco da parto - painted trays offered to mothers after the birth of their first-born offspring.

The Madonna and Child are accompanied by a youthful St. John with a cross and an angel. The gesture of St. John pointing to the Child is a foreshadowing of the Savior's martyrdom. The interpretation is completed by the presence of two books: an open one held by the angel and a closed one lying on the altar. Carded by the angel, as if in search of a prophecy about the redemption of mankind, the volume is the Old Testament. The New Testament, describing the world after Christ's coming, is still closed: the Word is waiting to be fulfilled. The Marian symbolism of the painting promotes contemplation of Mary's participation in the history of Redemption. The bushes of roses, shone through with pale light, symbolize her purity, and the gate that opens to heaven symbolizes her virginity. The roses and the gate are emblems of Mary popularized through the Litany of Loretto.